Sweet Sans from Sweet

Posted January 7, 2013

Following the addition of Okay Type last year, we’re pleased to bring another like-minded foundry into the Webtype fold: Sweet.

Mark van Bronkhorst’s Sweet® label encompasses charming and useful typefaces inspired by historical models of early 20th Century America and infused with his tasteful style and practical experience. Van Bronkhorst is a typographer’s type designer. Drawing from his years of branding and publication design — his resume includes several issues of the beloved U&lc — Van Bronkhorst makes the sort of fonts he would want as a type user.

The first release from this new library is Sweet Sans, a masterful revival of an old classic: the engraver’s sans serif. The model — strikingly similar to drafting alphabets of the early 1900s — has been one of the most widely used stationer’s antique lettering styles. Its open, simple forms are universally appealing and offer legibility at fairly small sizes. There are digital fonts based on this style, but none come near the versatility of Sweet Sans with its 18 webfonts: nine weights, from Hairline to Heavy, each with a true italic. Unlike other revivals of this model, Van Bronkhorst has also drawn original lowercase forms to harmonize with the caps. While rich in history, Sweet Sans is made for contemporary use. It is a handsome and functional tribute to the spirit of unsung craftsmanship.

As with all fonts on Webtype, Sweet Sans can be tested free of charge for 30 days. For more details, see the Sweet Sans webfont page.